6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
VIolet
T he whole thing was a mess. There was no filing system, rhyme, or reason for how things were sorted. I was beginning to suspect my sister was just dumping things when she was done looking at them, and then moving them to another pile when she needed them more than once, so she wouldn’t be digging through it all again.
She left me alone in the Luna office after showing me where she was inputting the information she needed. I engaged the internal lock immediately after she left, feeling my nerves settle a little knowing I was safe. I tried to get started right away, but I got frustrated and decided to sort everything first. Now, it had been hours, and I had about twenty piles of documents all over the office. I needed to finish sorting so my brain could make sense of it.
Evie brought me lunch, and laughed while I ranted about the disorganization between bites. I knew she understood, knowing how meticulous she was about her digital documents and files.
After she left and I returned to work, I had to admit that despite my annoyance, it felt good to do something productive again. I worked until just before dinner, when Bells knocked on the door. I was so occupied trying to figure out where one of the documents belonged, that I didn’t hear her approaching, and I yelped at the sudden sound.
“It’s just me, Vi. Can I come in?” Bells asked.
I put everything down and unlocked the door. Bells laughed when she saw the office.
“Did the boxes explode?” she asked, picking a stack from the chair and setting it down on the floor next to it so she could sit.
“It was driving me nuts,” I admitted sheepishly. “I just need to organize them first so I can input everything into the computer. I should be done with the sorting tomorrow, and then I can really get started.” Bells bit her lower lip, and I sat down at her desk when I saw the worried look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Cory and all the volunteers are heading out in two days.”
The color drained from my face. Was Crescent Moon being attacked? Cory said it was over. Those people were dead or far away.
“What happened?” I managed to ask, feeling the beads of sweat forming on my forehead as I repeatedly told myself not to jump to conclusions.
“You remember Cade? Or, Alpha Cade, I guess is the right term now.”
“Luna Kiara’s son?” I asked.
“That’s the one. His pack grounds burnt down in the wildfires a week ago. They need a place to stay until they find a new property where their cattle can graze.”
“Cory’s going to go help?” I assumed.
“No. Well, in part. Half of the pack is going to stay at Crescent Moon and half of the pack is coming to stay here. Cade agreed to help with the harvest because I can’t house all of his pack members and the volunteers. Cory is helping me get all the houses ready and then he’s heading back home with everyone.”
“Oh,” I answered, my heart plummeting. That made sense. I looked around the office and all the stacks I made. “I won’t be able to help you. I should have just gotten started on everything instead of spending a whole day sorting things,” I finished quietly. So much for feeling productive.
“No. That was probably a good call. I just dumped things in boxes until I needed them. Then I dumped them in another box,” she laughed.
There goes that theory confirmed, I thought ruefully.
“Would you consider staying a little while, though? I could really use the help,” Bells asked, and my heart started racing.
“Here? With the other pack?”
Strangers.
Strange wolves running around the pack house and grounds. People I didn’t know; that my sister and my brother couldn’t control. Without Cory next to me to hear my screams if someone got past the lock.
My heartbeat skyrocketed and my breaths became shallow. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be here without Cory to protect me. I needed someone to protect me. I wasn’t safe.
Bells left her chair and dropped in front of me when she realized I was on the verge of a panic attack.
“Shit! Vi, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. You can go home with Cory. Okay? You’ll be safe with him.” Her words were calming my racing heart down, but the way she was blinking back tears sent a fresh wave of guilt into me.
Bells didn’t ask for help easily. She was stubborn that way. The fact that she asked was enough to let me know she was barely keeping herself above water. I wished I was stronger for her, but staying here by myself... I wasn’t that strong. I pulled her into a hug, surprising her for a moment before I felt her strong arms embracing me. I tried to hold back the tears, but they fell anyway.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her.
“Never apologize for putting your healing first. You understand me?” she told me sternly, pulling back and making me look her in the eye. I felt my lip quivering and I could only nod in response. “Do you want to have dinner with us or would you rather eat in your room?”
“My room, please. I’m tired.”
Bells gave me another hug, then escorted me back to the guest bedroom.
“I’ll be back in a little while with your plate,” she told me before she left. I sat on the bed and looked around. I shouldn’t have unpacked, I guess.
I heard footsteps approaching, but they stopped a few feet from my door. A door opened and shut and I guessed it must be Cory or Evie. The door opened a few minutes later, and then I heard speaking.
“Hey, Chris is willing. Did you talk to her?” Cory said.
“I did, but she almost had a panic attack. It won’t work. She only feels safe with you,” my sister answered, making me feel worse.
“Sorry, Bells. I can stay a few extra days if you want,” Cory replied.
“No, it’s fine. I’ve been managing. I can figure it out.”
I went to bed that night thinking about their words. The following morning, I stayed in my room until it was time for my appointment with Dr. Campbell. I told her about how I was feeling and what happened yesterday.
“What should I do?” I asked her, already knowing she wouldn’t tell me, but a part of me always hoped she would take pity on me, and just tell me how to fix myself. I was over the whole fix-yourself thing. I just wanted to feel whole and unafraid again.
“You know that’s not how it works, Violet,” she replied as expected.
“Well, why can’t it? Clearly, I don’t know the fucking answer, or I wouldn’t be asking. You’re paid to fix me, so tell me, how do I get fixed?” I exploded. I didn’t even try not to curse this time. I needed her to understand how I was feeling, thorns and all.
“There is no fixing you, because you’re not broken, Violet. You’ve been through something traumatic, and you’re dealing with it the best way you know how. I’m here to give you tools to help you manage your trauma better. You can’t escape what happened to you or how you feel now. You have to deal with it head-on, and learn to live with the knowledge that it happened and it’s now a part of your experiences. Your trauma is not something that goes away. It’s a part of you. What you do is learn how to live with it, and control your active responses to it. Learn how to deal with the fear that it will happen again, and you will learn to lead a more normal life. Closer to what you had before it happened than what it is now.”
“But it could...” My lip was quivering, and I looked over at the closed door. I was safe when everyone was on the other side of the door. That was my only guarantee.
“Yes. You’re right. It’s always a possibility. The world is nothing but possibilities and fears, and that makes it a scary place that you are learning to be a part of again. You went through this once before. When you were little and were afraid of the dark or the monsters in the closet. The only difference is Alpha Markus can’t look under the bed for you and show you there is no monster. You have to look for yourself.”
“So, you're saying I should stay?” I asked.
“How did you feel when you pushed yourself to go to your sister?” she asked instead of giving me the answer.
“Good.”
“And why did you do it?”
“Because she needs me.”
“And does she still need you?”
“Yes.”
The fact that she asked me to stay was proof enough of how much she needed me.
“Do you believe she will judge you if you tell her you’re not ready yet?” Dr. Campbell asked and I didn’t even have to wonder.
“No. She told me to prioritize my healing.”
“So then, what would you like to do? What do you think will help you heal?”
“I want to stay. I want to help my sister and I want to not be so afraid,” I answered, feeling the tears leaving my eyes because I wasn’t sure if either of those things were achievable.
“Is there anything they can do to help you achieve that?”
“They were asking Christopher to stay with me.”
“How do you feel about that?” she asked, and I scoffed.
“Like the man already suffered enough for opening that door first. He doesn’t deserve it. It’s not his fault I imprinted on him and consider him the only safe male outside my family.”
“It’s not your fault either. Why do you want to help Bells so desperately?”
“Because I love her, and she needs help.”
“Have you considered that maybe that is why Chris is always willing to help you?” she asked.
“Christopher doesn’t love me,” I assured her.
We rarely spoke, even as kids.
“Maybe he doesn’t love you like you love your sister, but you did grow up together. He’s known you since you were a baby, and he is trying to help the only way he can. And right now, that’s by helping you feel safe when he guards you. That’s also ultimately his job. He is a warrior for his pack, and his pack member and friend needs his protection.”
Friend might be stretching it a bit. I was simply the younger sibling of his friends, who often tagged along and usually ended up sitting in a corner, reading a book.
“You said I shouldn’t let the imprinting cement itself into a permanent thing,” I reminded her.
“A true imprint would make you need to be around him, Violet. That’s what happened when you were first rescued. Not even your parents could touch you, and you couldn’t be anywhere without Christopher. Those feelings have gone away, haven’t they? You’ve been fine without him in your life for most of the last year.”
“But I still feel safe with him,” I argued.
"You always felt safe with him, Violet. Just like you felt safe with Cory, and now you feel that way again.”
“Why only him?” I asked.
What made him so special that even after the imprinting went away, I still felt safe with him.
“Maybe it’s because, outside of your family, he’s the only person that’s been near you since you were kidnapped, and that you’ve given the chance to prove he’s still safe.”
Her words made my mouth drop open. She was right. I couldn’t even be near my family after I was raped, but I forced myself to do it because I couldn’t bear to recoil against the people I loved the most. I hadn’t let anyone else do that, but because he was the one who found me, I already considered him safe enough to approach.
“Shit.” The word escaped my mouth in a whisper before I could stop it, and to my surprise, Dr. Campbell chuckled. “So, I wouldn’t be taking advantage of him if he were to stay and guard me?”
“He is a warrior. Is that not his job?”
I didn’t answering the rhetorical question. Instead, I continued to think about everything we’d just discussed.
“Are you still there?”
“Oh, sorry! Yes. I was just thinking.” I answered.
“It’s alright. It’s just harder to read you over a silent phone line.”
“I’m going to try to stay. I have to give it a try, at least. For Bells, and for me.”
“Atta girl,” Dr. Campbell praised and it felt oddly good to know she approved.
We talked more after that about setting goals and small wins. After my conversation, I decided to talk to my brother before I could chicken out.
‘Cory, can you come to my room? ’ I reached out via mind-link.
‘I’m out in one of the houses. Give me ten minutes?’
‘Of course.’
‘You’re okay, though?’ he asked.
‘Yep.’
I pulled out my tablet and read for a little while until I heard Cory’s knocking coming down the hall. I opened the internal lock of my room and let him in.
“What’s going on, Bug?”
“I want to stay,” I blurted out, making him raise his eyebrows.
“Stay?”
“Yes, here. I want to stay and help Bells. I want to try, at least.”
“Okay. Can I ask why you changed your mind?”
“I want to help her. Bells needs help and it’s something I can do. I want to be useful again. I think this will be good for me.”
Cory looked proud at my words, but there was still hesitation visible on his face.
“I-I don’t want to leave you here alone,” he stammered, and I rolled my eyes. Cory wasn’t good at lying to his family and he wasn’t really sneaky.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he asked.
“Yes, you can leave Christopher here as my guard.”
“Ho—”
“I heard you and Bells talking last night, Cory. I know you already asked him. If he agrees and doesn’t consider it a punishment, I’ll take the safety he’s offering,” I stated.
Cory looked relieved at my words and he started pacing my room. I couldn’t tell if he was thinking or mind-linking from the angle of his face, so I waited until he was ready to talk again.
“How long did you want to stay?” he asked after a while.
“Let’s start with three weeks, and see how much I’ve been able to help by then. That’s how long we planned on staying at the start.”
“Okay. I’ll let Mom and Dad know. Have you told Bells?” he asked.
“No. I haven’t seen her yet and I can’t mind-link her.”
“I’ll call her up and then you can have some lunch, yeah?”
“Okay.”
“I’m proud of you, Bug. I know Bells will appreciate it.”
Two days later, I was a bundle of nerves as I watched Cory leave without me, but I had a buffer of another two days before Cade’s pack was due to arrive.
After the SUVs took off, Christopher followed me over to the luna office and I turned at the door.
“I can stay here alone. It’s got an internal lock. Go rest or... I don’t know what you do on your time off,” I finished lamely.
“I usually train.”
I was surprised he answered instead of grunting, which seemed to be his preferred mode of communication.
“Umm... I don’t know that they have training here at your level, but I’ll be fine here until later. I’ll mind-link you.”
“Okay,” Christopher answered but didn’t move, so I slowly and awkwardly closed the door on his face.
Once I locked it, I finally heard his footsteps moving away. That man was weird.
I worked through lunch, and by dinner, I was able to get all the piles of documents ready to file. I didn’t know how to do any of the business analysis Bells needed, but I could input all the information for her and fill out paperwork before I scanned them and filed the originals.
I used to follow Mom around when I was young, always learning about what she did in her role as Luna and Dad’s partner. Technically, she was my first job, letting me help in the office a few days a week for some extra cash to buy a new drawing tablet or books.
‘I’m ready to go back to my room, ’ I mind-linked Christopher when my stomach growled.
Less than a minute later, there was a knock on the door. I opened it up and found Christopher waiting for me.
“Would you like to grab a plate from the kitchen, or should I bring it to your room?” he asked.
I thought about it for a minute. My first reaction was to go to my room, but without everyone here, maybe I could eat in the dining room.
“Can we check how busy the dining room is?” I asked instead.
“Of course.”
He stepped in front of me, and I followed, feeling more comfortable knowing someone couldn’t rush at me like that man did when I got kidnapped. My shield hadn’t worked properly since, and I never learned to fight. Dr. Campbell said it was a mental block, and when I was able to control my fear, I would be able to control my shield again.
The dining room was busy, but it was mostly women and little kids. Christopher looked over at me, a question in his eyes.
“I’d like to try to eat with my sister,” I told him.
Christopher grunted and led the way to where Bells usually sat. We got looks from everyone as we passed by, but thankfully, no one approached. I sat down at the main table and waited nervously. Bells ate here with everyone right? Mom and Dad always did, and so did Cory.
I noticed Christopher was still standing behind me, so I looked up at him.
“Sit down.”
“I’m okay.”
“Christopher, sit down. You’re making people stare.”
“I’ll sit down when your sister arrives. I don’t want people startling you.”
I turned back to look at the table, speechless, and instead pulled out my phone and texted my sister.
Me
Do you eat dinner with the pack?
Bells
Yes, I’m on my way down now. Do you want me to bring your plate?
Me
I’m sitting at the table, but people are staring.
She didn’t respond, but a few moments later, I heard Adam giggling as Bells ran into the room with him in her arms.
“I’m here, sorry. Shit, you’re actually here.” Bells looked around as if someone was going to tell her how to react to me being in the dining room, so I took Adam from her and sat him on my lap.
“Go grab him some food and take a breath,” I instructed.
“Right. Sorry. I’ll be right back.”
Bells dashed off while Adam started telling me about his day in school. He was a friendly little boy who took to people quickly. Bells told me he lost both parents when the rogues attacked, and his friendly disposition made me wish I could be like him. As I listened to Adam about what one of his friends did that got him in trouble, Bells came back with a big serving platter with four plates on it.
“Alright. Sit down, Chris. No one is going to hurt my sister while I’m here,” she instructed, putting a plate on the empty seat next to me.
“Yes, Luna,” Christopher answered.
I always called him Christopher. Did he prefer Chris or Christopher? I should probably ask him later. Bells set another plate in front of me, so I sat Adam next to me and we ate dinner as we listened to him talk to us and ask everyone questions.
“Are you staying here forever?” Adam asked.
“No. I’m just helping out Bells. I’ll be going home in a few weeks.”
“Oh.” He looked visibly disappointed.
“But, we can have fun while I’m here. How about you and I have a date in my room on Saturday when all the other people show up? We’ll watch a movie and have popcorn, candy, and pizza for dinner?”
“Can we have chocolate fudge?”
“If Bells says it’s okay,” I chuckled.
“If we behave until then, I’ll buy some ice cream instead,” she half grumbled, with a smile on her face.
“Are you jealous that you weren’t invited, Bells?” I teased.
“Maybe. I’m more jealous of having a movie day. I haven’t had one in a long time, but I’ll appreciate this little chocolate thief being somewhere with you so he can’t run around like a wild monkey.”
After dinner, Christopher escorted me up to the alpha floor. I followed behind him, lost in thought once we were alone in the hall, when I bumped into his hard back.
“Oof! Sorry,” I said, steadying myself by grabbing his arms. I took a step back and then, when I noticed where he stopped, I asked, “Why did we stop here? My room’s at the end.”
“Luna Bells switched our rooms while you worked,” he explained, pushing open the door. All of my things were in Cory’s old guest room, and I was relieved to see the internal lock already set up in this one. “It has a connecting bathroom—” Christopher motioned to the aforementioned door. “—She moved my things to the room on the other side, in case you need me. You can keep your door locked when you need privacy, otherwise, if you’re feeling unsafe, just open both connections if it makes you feel better but don’t want me near.”
“Oh,” I didn’t know how to feel about that. “Thank you.”
Christopher turned around, and I thought he was going to leave, but instead, he pushed closed my door and engaged the internal lock. He then rattled the door, trying to open it. He was testing it, I realized, and it appeared to pass his scrutiny because he simply grunted and unlocked the door.
“If you don’t need anything, I’ll go unpack.”
“I'm alright. Thank you.” Christopher grunted again and started to leave, but stopped when I remembered my question and called out to him. “Wait! Do you prefer being called Christopher or Chris?”
An actual smile crossed his face for a second and he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I respond to both.”
“Yes, but what do you prefer? We’re going to spend a lot of time together, I should call you something you’re comfortable with.”
“Chris will work just fine,” he finally conceded.
“Thank you,” I called after him before I shut and locked my door. I grabbed my suitcase and started unpacking everything again. I showered and ensured I unlocked the door to his room after I was done. I felt more comfortable knowing he had an easy way to get to me if someone burst through my door.
The day when Cade’s pack was due to arrive came very quickly, and I found myself pacing back and forth in my room before breakfast. When Chris knocked on my door to take me down to breakfast, I began to hyperventilate.
“Violet?” Chris called out when I didn’t open the door for him after a few moments.
My voice wasn’t working. Instead, I grabbed the bedpost, trying to control my breathing.
“Violet. Are you awake?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but the only thing that came out was a whimper. For the first time in a year, though, Nenetl stood and whimpered with me, trying to give me strength that I knew she didn’t have. Still, feeling her care about what was happening to me was enough to help the black spots in my vision to disappear. I was desperately trying to get a deep breath in when I felt a pair of hands lifting me from where I was trying to remain standing. Even in my panicked state, I recognized the chest in front of me.
Chris sat me down on the bed, lifting my chin so I was looking into his face, then held me steadily by the shoulders.
“You’re having a panic attack. Take a slow deep breath. Focus on me. Look at my face. Don’t think about anything. I’m here. You’re here. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. I’ll make sure of it.”
I hung onto his words, focused on his warm brown eyes and repeated his words in my head along with him as he repeated them over and over. He took a breath and I took a breath. Mimicking the way he was breathing slowly and deeply was helping my heart to slow down.
I’m safe. I’m here. No one is going to hurt me, I chanted in my head.
Chris maintained eye contact with me the entire time, speaking in a low but confident tone. After a while, I could breathe more easily, and when I felt the stinging of tears in my eyes, I was the one that turned away.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked softly, making me look at him again.
“I’m sorry,” I managed to say before I started sobbing.
I thought I was getting better, and now it felt like I was right back at square one. I tried to move away, to curl back under the covers before I called Cory and told him I couldn’t do this, but Chris kept his hold on my shoulders. It was firm, but wasn’t demanding or intimidating. It was reassuring and I was able to stop sobbing long enough to look at him again. When he saw he had my attention, he spoke again.
“There’s no reason to be sorry. How about we talk about what you were thinking, or what you saw that triggered the panic attack, and we make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
“A lot of things bring me panic attacks,” I whined, my lip trembling as I fought back another round of sobs.
“What was it today, though?” he persisted.
“I was getting ready for breakfast,” I started, hiccups preventing me from continuing. I saw Chris’ lips twitch as he fought a smile, but when I hiccupped again, I definitely saw it there briefly.
“You’ve been down to breakfast all week. What about today made breakfast terrifying?” he asked, not an ounce of judgement in his voice.
“Cade’s pack is coming today. Breakfast won’t be safe again,” I answered, feeling a tear leave my eye despite my best efforts to stay strong.
“There are strangers coming. People you’ve never met and don’t trust,” he mumbled, mostly to himself, I thought, but I nodded regardless.
“Do you want to stay here for breakfast today? The other pack won’t be here until the afternoon.”
I shook my head. I was enjoying not eating by myself again and after everyone arrived, I would be stuck in this room until I left.
“This is my last chance,” I told him quietly.
“Only until you feel safe again, and I’ll make sure that you do,” he said with so much conviction, that I almost believed him. Instead of trying to convince me, Chris stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go have breakfast. You promised Adam a movie day, so Luna Bellarose said she’d have a picnic basket full of treats for you both this morning.”
I took his hand, standing, but when he moved to pull it back, for some reason I was unable to let it go. My nerves were shot, and as I looked over at the door, I was unsure if I could actually walk out of it. Instead of making things awkward for me, Chris let me hold onto his hand and lead me to the door, where he used his free hand to remove the internal lock and open the door. He walked through it first and looked outside, then turned to me and grunted, confirming it was safe.
I should feel childish, having someone show me there were no monsters in the hallway, but Chris waited patiently for me on the other side of the door, while I was still holding his hand, for me to gather my courage and walk out of my room. So I did, because instead of feeling childish, I felt reassured and protected. Safe.
After breakfast, Bells dropped Adam off in my room and took Chris while I started building a stand with pillows in the middle of the bed for my laptop. To my surprise, she showed up a few minutes later with Chris carrying a large flat screen. Bells cleared off my things from the top of the dresser, and Chris settled it on top.
“Tell me you didn’t spend your money on a giant TV, Bells,” I begged.
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” she answered with a twinkle in her eye. When I narrowed my eyes at her, she sighed in mock surrender and continued, “I bought it like two years ago. It was in a small living room on the other side of the floor. I didn’t buy it right now.”
Once the TV was set up, Bells left to ensure all the suites were ready. I hooked up my laptop to the computer and started a movie, then dove into the bed with Adam. Chris usually left me alone while I worked, and I thought he would leave now, but instead, he carried a chair to the door, opened it, and sat beside it. I looked at the door nervously, then back at the man sitting next to the door with his arms crossed and a fierce look of determination on his face.
I said nothing and chose to trust the man who kept insisting he could protect me. It took a while, but eventually I was able to relax enough to stop looking at the door to see if someone was going to come running through it to enjoy the movie with Adam. I answered all his questions and laughed at the way his five-year-old mind interpreted the movie. It was well into the afternoon when a low growl left Chris' chest and he sat up straighter.
A series of light knocks and heavy boots came down the hall before the head of a tall, sandy-blonde man with friendly bright blue eyes, a warm smile and a stubbly beard appeared in the doorway. The head was followed by the attached body cladded in a western shirt, faded jeans and cowboy boots.
Chris stood up and blocked the door, letting out a low warning growl. The man took a step back, raising his hands in a show of surrender. Something about him was familiar, and as I was wracking my brain, searching for a corresponding memory, the man spoke.
“Easy, warrior. I come in peace. I just wanted to say hello to Violet.” It was his voice that triggered the memories, and my jaw dropped.
“Cade?” I called out. A bright smile appeared on his face again and he gave me a little wave from where he was still standing.
“Howdy, friends.”
I saw the way Chris’ back tensed as he realized this was the alpha of the visiting pack, but he still didn’t move, proving to me he was willing to take him onto protect me. Instead, Chris turned to me.
‘What do you want me to do? ’ he asked me via mind-link.
“He’s a friend,” I confirmed out loud.
Chris moved aside and came to stand next to the bed, where he still provided a buffer between Cade and me.
Cade walked in, but when he saw me tensing as he started getting close, he moved back to the door and leaned against it, his smile never leaving his face. His consideration to my aversion made me feel comfortable with him.
“You don’t look like the Cade I knew at twenty, if it wasn’t for your voice, I wouldn’t have picked you out of a lineup. You’ve bulked up,” I teased.
I was happy to see he not take offense to my ribbing. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.
“I had to. Can’t have people thinking they can challenge me after I took over as alpha,” he explained.
“I heard about your pack lands. That must have been devastating,” I mentioned.
“It wasn’t easy, but the freak change in winds caught everyone by surprise,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “But it’s a goo—”
“What are you doing? I told you Violet doesn’t like being around strangers,” Bells’ angry voice interrupted from down the hallway.
Cade rolled his eyes at my sister’s angry words and winked at me.
“Relax, Princess. I’m a few doors down from Violet. I wanted to make sure she knew who I was so she didn’t feel threatened if she saw me walking around the alpha floor. She’s perfectly fine. Her warrior did a good job protecting her. Cory was right to trust Chris with her safety, and I’m respecting her boundaries.”
I looked up at Chris, standing straight and stoically next to my bed, a strange warm feeling filling my chest at Cade’s words.
“I told—” Bells started to say.
“You’re fine, right Violet? I’m not bothering you or making you uncomfortable?” Cade interrupted my sister again as she pushed inside the room, clear irritation on her face.
I bit my cheek to stop from smiling back at Cade. It seemed he still knew how to push her buttons.
“I’m okay, Bells,” I reassured both of them.
Bells’ anger deflated, but she still glared at Cade before turning back to me.
“If he bothers you, let me know. I’ll go grab you guys some dinner.”
After Bells left, her steps clearly stomping as loudly as she could to show her temper still brewing underneath, Cade shook his head while he watched her, before turning back to me.
“I’ve already told everyone I brought with me to stay off the alpha floor. If you have any problems with them, let me know, and I’ll take care of it. I’ll give you three knocks when I’m coming down this way for a visit,” he let me know. He pushed away from the door, ready to leave when I stopped him.
“Ho-What did Bells tell you? A-about what happened to me?” I asked him.
“Nothing more than you’re not comfortable around people anymore, Violet,” he assured me.
“Th-then, how did you know about knocking?” I asked.
Only my family knew to do that.
“Mom volunteered at a women’s shelter for a long time. Whenever she took me with her, she explained that some women need certain added steps in their routine to feel safe again. Knocking was always a good way to let people know you were coming, in case they startled easily.”
“Thank you,” was all I could think to say.
“I hope you can trust me someday again, Vi. Until then, I’m just two doors down if you need anything.” He pretended to tilt his absent cowboy hat to me and left.
Chris went and sat on his chair again without saying anything and I returned my attention to the movie, more at ease.